Steering-gear.



D. E. ROSS.

STEERING GEAR.

APPucATIoN FILED MAR. 3l. 1913.`

13,136,55 Patented Aprzzo, 1915.

'UNITE STA E@ PATENT FFIQE.

DAVID E. ROSS, F LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 ROSS GEAR AND TOOLCOMPANY, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

STEERING-GEAR.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, DAVID E. Ross, of La Fayette, in the county ofTippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Steering-Gear; and I yhereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact-description thereof, reference being` had tothe accompanymg drawings, which form part of this specifieation.

This invention is a novel improvement in steering-gear for automobiles,motor boats and the like, and is particularly designed for use withelectric vehicles which ordinarily employ a lever for operating thesteering shaft instead of a wheel.

The object of the invention isv to provide a steering gear which can bereadily operated by such a lever without any liability or pos,- sibilityof reverse pressure on the ball-arm or steering-crank` improperlyshifting the steering shaft or lever.

The invention provides novel mea Ns whereby the rocker shaft andsteering-cran r can be positively and easily rocked in either direction,and will be always absolutely locked against casual or back pressuremovements in any and all positions to which it is adjusted. thus makingthe invention especially adaptable for electric automobiles and othervehicles intended to be operated by weinen.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof, althoughthose skilled in the art might em body the invention in otjher formsafter the invention is disclosed to them.

In the claims following the description are summarized the essentials ofthe invention and the novel features of construction and combinations ofparts for which protection is desired.

In the drawings: I `igure 1 is a pla-n view of the steeringdevices of asteering gear with the housing broken away to show the operative partsmore clearly. Fig. Q is a transverse section on line 2.-2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a similar view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

lIn said drawings 1 represents the rocker shaft which is `iournaled in abearing formed in a tubular'extension 5) ol thc casing i), which may beof any suitable construction and incloses the main operative parts ofthe Specification of Letters Patent. Patentdl A'pir. 20, 1915.

Application filed March 31, 1913.

Serial No. 757,937.

steering heads and supports the rocker shaft and the steering shaft.

To the outer end of the rocker shaft l is connected the steering crank,or ball arm, l, that may be of any suitable construction, and isconnected in the'usual or preferred way, by means not shown, to thefront wheel supports of the vehicle. On the inner end of the shaft 1 isfixed a double armed lever 2' to whose arms are vpivotally connectedshoes '3 and 3, which are shown as pivoted on studs 2 on the arms of thelever, at equrdistant points from the axis of the rocker shaft 1. Theshoes 3, 3 are adapted to respectively engage opposed cam surfaces 4Xand 5x on slidable cam members 4 and 5, which are movable transverselyof the shaft 1 and beside the lever 2. The cam members 4 and 5 lieparallel and are movable in opposite directions, simultaneously andequally, so that while contact is maintained between the slices and thecam-surfaces, the shaft l will be rocked in one direction or the otheraccording to the movement of the cam members -t and 5. Thus if cammembers 5 be projected or moved to the right, Fig. 1, the shaft 1 willbe rocked clockwise; while cam 4- is simultaneously retracted.V If cam Ibe projected or moved to the right, cam 5 would be retracted, and therocker shaft 1 will be moved anti-clockwise. In either case the cams andshoesV always remain in contact and have an interlocking action when atrest, which prevents any back pressure on the rocker shaft l shiftingthe cams or- Slices, which lock in any position to which they areadjusted unless and until the cams 4 and 5 are purposely moved to shiftthe shoes. This interlocking action relieves the driver of the shocksand jars on the vehicle wheels and obviates the possibility of thesteering arm being wrenched from the drivers hand under extremeconditions of back pressure on the steering crank.

rThe cam surfaces fl", 5X and the opposed faces of the shoes 3 and 3 aregenerated on such curves that the shoes always remain inf close contactwith the cam surfaces in whatever direction the shaft l is rocked by theshifting of the cams 4 and Equal tra vel on the part of the camsurfaces. causes equal movements of the tivo arms of the lever 1, andthe angular travel of the rocker shaft per unit of longitudinal travelof the cams remains constant. The curves of the cam surfaces may be sogenerated however that a minimum oflangular travel of the rocker shaftis produced at the central partsv of the cam surfaces and a maximum oftravel toward the extremes of lthe cam surfaces. -Asa result of thisconstruction, Valthough shaft 1 may be rocked eitherto right or left byshifting the cams 4 and 5 endwise; cams 4 and 5 cannot be shifted by anyreverse or back -pressure applied to the outer end of the shaft 1, orthesteering crank la; and the vehicle wheels will be securely held in anyposition to which they have been adj usted by the steering gear, untilshifted by the operator.

As shown, the cams 4r. and 5 lie substantially at right angles to thesteering shaft 6, which Vis journaled in the casing in any suitable way,and this 'steering shaft is provided on its lower end with a T-head 6,which is preferably slotted on its under side, and in the example shownthe shank of the cam 4 which extends to and beneath this T- head isprovided with a hole in which is fitted a pin or lug 4 having a squarehead 4", which is slidably fitted in the slot in the adjacent arm of theT-head 6 on the steering shaft. The cam 5 is similarly provided with ahole in which is a pin 5a having a head 5" engaging the slot in theadjacent end of the T-head 6. The construction is such that if thesteering shaft 6 is turned in one direction cam 4- will be projected andcam v5 retracted; and if the shaft 6 is turned in the other direction,cam 5 will be projected and cam l retracted. i

The Shanks of the cams 4 and 5 carrying the studs 4, 5 may be guided ina lateral extension 9c of the housing 9 as shown and the shaft 6 may besuitably journaled in an extension 9 of the housing, or in bearingsattached thereto, in any desired manner. lVhen attached to a vehicle thesteering shaft will extend to the desired position adjacent the driversseat, while the steering crank 1n will be in proper position forconnection-with the steering wheels of the vehicle.

It is desirable to alwaysmaintain close sliding contact between the camAsurfaces 4* and 5x and the respective shoes 3 and 3 and to compensatefor any wear thereon. As shown in the drawings I accomplish this bymeans of two oppositely tapered wedge plates 7 and 7n which are fittedtogether and arranged between the adjacent straight 4edges ofthe cams 4and 5. The wedge 7 may be fixed at one end to the end wall of theextension 9c of the casing as indicated at 7". I/Vhile the opposite endof the wedge 7 may be fitted in a socket 9d in the wall of the casing,and can be locked in such socket by means of a screw 9e, and can beadjusted longitudinally by a screw 9', as indicated in Fig. 1. Byadjusting Wedge 7 longitudinally of the wedge 7a the cams can beseparated more or lessand any wear on the faces of the cams and shoescan be compensated 'exactly equi-distant from the axis of the rockershaft; in such case the cams would be similar and in proportion but notexact duplicates, and the opposed shoes would be correspondingly varied;but in operation the shoeswould always remain in contact with the`opposed cam surfaces.

1. In a steering gear, a member to be operated, devices connected withsaid member at points equi-distant therefrom, opposite cam membersengaging said devices, a steering shaft, and a cross head connectedtherewith and engaging the cam members and adapted to cause oppositemovements thereof.

Q. In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, opposite shoesconnected therewith at equi-distant points, opposite cam membersengaging-the respective shoes; a steering shaft, anda cross head thereonengaging said cam members and adapted to move them simultaneously andequally in opposite directions.

In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, opposite shoesconnected therewith, an independent cam member engaging each shoe` saidcam members being faced in opposite directions; a steering shaft, and across head thereon engaging said cam members to more same equally andsimultaneously in opposite directions.

4. In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, opposite shoesconnected therewith, a cam member engaging each shoe, said cam membersbeing faced in opposite directions, aI steering shaft, a cross headthereon for simultaneously operating said cam members, and means foradjusting the cam members laterally.

5. In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, opposite shoesconnected therewith, anindependent cam member engaging each shoe, saidcam members being faced in opposite directions; a steering shaft, across head thereon for simultaneously operating said cam members, andwedges extending axially of and between the cam members for adjustingthem laterally.

6. In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, opposite shoesconnected therewith-and equi-distant therefrom, oppositely facinglongitudinally movable cam members engaging said shoes, a steeringshaft, a head thereon, and a pin and slot connectionbetween said headand each cam member.

7. In a steering gear, 'the combination of a rocker-shaft, oppositeshoes connected therewith, oppositely facing longitudhially movable lcammembers engaging said shoes, a steering shaft, a head thereon, aconnection between said head and each cam member,

and adjusting means interposed between the j cam members and connectedto the housing of the steering gear, substantially as described.

8. In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, a double armedlever on said shaft, shoes pivotally connected to the arms of saidlever, oppositely facing cam members engaging said shoes, a steeringshaft, a double armed head thereon; connections between said head andsaid cams for simultaneously moving said cams to effect the rocking ofthe shaft and the locking thereof in adjusted position, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, a double armedlever on said shaft, shoes pivotally connected to the arms of saidlever, oppositely facing cams engaging said shoes, a steering shaft, adouble armed head thereon; and pin and slot connections between saidhead and said cams, means for simultaneously moving said cams inopposite directions to effect the rocking of the shaft and the lockingthereof in adjusted position, and adjusting means interposed between thecam members and connected to the housing of the steering gear,substantially7 as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I aiiix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

DAVID E. ROSS.

Witnesses:

W. B. MATTHEWS,

D. L. Ross.

